tester



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

D. N. NESTER. PNBUMATIG STAGKBR.

No. 570,182. Patented Oct. 27, 1896.

1H: mams varias co, mmnuwo., wAsnmaToN. n. cv

Patented Oct. 27, 189.6.

D. N.- NESTER. PNBUMATIG STAGKBR.

(No Model.)

lo www NN UNITED STATES .i

EEICE.

PATENT DANIEL N. NESTER, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ALICE M. VALLEE, OF SAME PLACE.

PN EU IVIATIC STACKER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 570,182, dated October 2*?, 1896.

I Application filed April 17, 1896. Serial No. 587,991. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL N. N ESTER, a citizen of the United States, residing `at St.

Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Stackers 5 and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide an improvement in pneumatic stackers. These pneumatic stackers as hitherto constructed are subject to a serious objection which arises from the fact that the strong forced draft which is essential to the operation of the stacker will inevitablyT draw in more or less of the threshed grain, which, being deposited with the straw, will of course be wasted.

It is the object of my invention to obviate the above defect by the provision of a device which will catch and return the grain which has been sucked into the stacker-tube.'

The preferred form of my device whereby I accomplish this result is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein, like letters referring to like parts throughout the several views- Figure l is a side elevation showingmy improved stacker appliedto a threshing-machine or separator, some parts being broken away. Fig. v2 is a View, partly in plan and partly in horizontal section, showing my improved st-acker tube or trunk removed from the separator, some parts of the same being broken away. Fig. 3 is an end view of my improved stacker-tube, looking from the receiving end of the same; and Fig. 4isatransverse vertical section taken on the line X4 X4 of Fig. 2, looking from the receiving end of the tube. l

a indicates the frame, a the separatingtable, a2 the rattle-rake conveyer, a3 the stacker-fan, and a4 the tailings-spout, of an ordinary threshing-machine or separator.

b indicates the exterior member of a pair of concentrically-arranged stacker-tubes. This stacker-tube b is hinged at its receiving end to the delivery end of the separator or frame a by means of the hinge-joint b', and is provided with side wings b2, which telescope with the sides 'of said separator-frame a to form an overlapping joint therewith. The parts so far described would constitute substantially the ordinary pneumatic-stacker construction.

In the preferred form of my improved device I employ in connection with the stackertube b the following devices: c indicates an interior stacker-tube,which is of considerable less diameter than the tube b, is positioned longitudinally of said tube b, and is mounted for rotary motion therein by means of iianged antifriction-rollers b3, journaledin brackets b4, vsecured to said tube b, and by annular guide rings or flanges c', secured on said tube c and working between the flanges of said antifriction-rollers b3. Nearly the entire surface of this interior tube c is perforated by slits c2. Preferably these slits c2 are formed by lips c3, which are cut from the body of the tube c at all but their outer ends, and are pressed outward so that they point in a direction reverse from the travel of the stock through said tube.

cl indicates the fixed tube-section, the receiving or inner end of which is bell-mouthed and secured to the interior of the tube b, while its outer end works telescopically within the receiving end of the rotary tube c.

The annular compartment formed between the tubes b and c is closed by means of an annular bottom piece d', which is secured at its outer edge to the tube b and works loosely against the tube c. f f' indicate a returnspout which opens from the bottom of the stacker-tube b at a point just outward of the annular bottom piece cl', and which extends to the tailings-spout a4 of the separator. It will be noted that this return-tube f f is formed by telescoping sections, so as to per. mit the vertical pivotal movement of the.

stacker-tube b on its pivot t. 'This vertical movement of the stacker-tube b and parts carried thereby may be controlled by means of a connection b5, which is secured at one end to the outer end of said tube b and extends to a windlass or some other suitable device (not shown) located on aseparatorframe a.

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As shown, motion is imparted to the interior stacker-tube c by means of the following driving devices: g indicates a small pulley located on the outer end of the shaft of the upper member of the rattle-rake rollers a5.

g indicates a double-faced pulley mounted in suitable bearings on top of the separatorframe a.

g2 indicates a pulley mounted in the upper end of a bracket g3, supported at its base from the top of the rear end of the separatorframe a.

g4 indicates a belt passing over the pulleys g and g', and g5 indicates a belt passing over the pulleys g and g2.

g3 indicates a relatively large drivingsheave secured on a common shaft with the pulley g2.

Q7 indica-tes an idle sheave mounted in a pivoted bracket gs, swiveled in a rearwardlyprojecting arm g of the bracket g3.

g1@ indicates an annular beveled gear which is secured to the receiving end of the rotary interior stacker-tube c.

qu indicates a small beveled gear working in mesh with the annular beveled wheel gm. The beveled gear g11 is secured on the inner end of a short shaft Q12, mounted in a bearin g-bracket Q13, secured to the exterior tube Z2.

Q14 indicates a sheave secured to the outer end of the shaft gli. Q15 indicates an endless cable which passes over the sheaves g, Q7, and g14 and also over a weighted floating sheave gw. This iioating sheave g1 serves as a belt-tightener and permits the endless drivingcable Q15 to automatically lengthen and take up slack under the vertical pivotal movement of the stacker-tube.

By tracing the above connections it will become obvious that whenever the threshingmachine or separator is in operation motion will be imparted from the rattle-rake conveyer a2 through said connections to the annular gear g10 on the interior tube-section c, and hence will cause said tube c to continually rotate within the exterior tube Z1. Under this rotary motion of the perforated interior drum c the straw as it passes therethrough will be stirred and shaken, so that any grain which has been sucked into the tube by the forced draft will be permitted to fall to the bottom portion of said perforate rotary tube. The grain when thus precipitated onto the perforate surface of the rotary tube c will be caught and lodged in the pockets formed by the depressed lips c3, from whence it will be free to fall through the slots c2 into the annular compartment formed between the stacker-tubes b and c. AS already indicated, the grain which has been precipitated into this annular compartment will iiow under the action of gravity through the return-spout ff into the tailings-spout a4, from whence it will be returned with the other tailings to the separating mechanism of the machine.

It is thought to be perfectly obvious that my above -described invention will be cxtremely efficient in its action and will ctlect a large saving in grain.

It will be understood, of course, that various alterations in the details of construction of the above-described invention may be made without departing from the spirit of the same. For instance, the rotary stackertube c might be provided with perforations differing from those above described. However, I much prefer the slot-and-lip perforations c2 oS above described. Again, various forms of driving connections for causing the rotation of the stacker-tube c or equivalent device might be substituted for the driving connection shown.

That I claim, and desire to secure by Iletters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

l. In a pneumatic stacker, the combination with the exterior stacker tube or trunk, of an interior sifting-surface spaced apa-rt from and mounted for agitating motion within said stacker-tube and means for producing an aircurrent through said tube, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. Ina pneumatic stacker, the combination with the exterior stacker tube or trunk, of a perforated interior tube spaced apart from and mounted for rotary motion within said stacker-tube and means for producing an aircurrent through said tube, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a separator, of a pneumatic stacker comprising an exterior stacker tube, a perforated interior tube spaced apart from and mounted for rotary motion within the stacker-tube, a bell-mouthed tubular section fixed at its mouth end to said exterior stacker-tube and telescoping at its other end with said interior rotary tube, substantially as described.

4E. In a pneumatic stacker, the combination with the exterior tube of the interior perforated tube, spaced apart from and mounted for rotary motion within said exterior tube, annular rings or flanges carried by said interior tube, iianged rollers mounted in brackets secured to said exterior tube and engaging said annular flan ges on said interior tube, and means for producing an air current through said tube, substantially as described.

5. In a pneumatic stacker, the combination with the exterior tube, of the interior perforated tube, spa-ced apart from and mounted for rotary motion within said exterior tube, annular rings or iianges carried by said interior tube and resting on antifriction-rollers carried by said exterior tube, positive driving mechanism for imparting rotary motion to said interior tube, and means for producing an air-current through said tube, substantially as described.

G. The combination with the exterior tube b and the bell-mouthed fixed tube-section d, in the interior of the same, of the rotary perforated tube c provided with the annular flanges c' and the annular double gear bm,

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the antifriotion-rollers bengaging the anges said shafts Z112 and the thresher mechanism, Io c' and mounted, in brackets b4 on the interior substantially as described.

of the tube b, the annular bottom plate b be- In testimony whereof I ax my signature tween the tube-sections b and c, the return in presence of two witnesses.

feed-spout f f extending from the annular compartment between said tubes b and c, the DANIEL N. NESTER. beveled pinion g carried by shaft Q12 and en- Witnesses:

gaging said annular wheel 191 on the tube c, JAS. F. WILLIAMSON,

and intermediate driving mechanism between E. F. ELMORE. 

